HANOI, Sept 16 — Typhoon Yagi, Asia’s most powerful storm this year, has cost Vietnam roughly US$1.6 billion (RM6.88 billion) and may cut into the country’s growth rate, showed preliminary estimates from the investment ministry.

JAKARTA, Sept 16 — Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto plans to launch a green economy fund by selling carbon emission credits from projects such as rainforest preservation, aiming to raise US$65 billion (RM279.6 billion) by 2028, an adviser told Reuters.

MANILA, Sept 16 — The Philippines will continuously deploy vessels in the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, its coast guard said today after a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment there.

NAYPYIDAW, Sept 15 — Myanmar’s flooding death toll rose to 74 as of Friday evening, said a state media report today, after heavy rains triggered widespread floods across the war-torn country.

NEW DELHI, Sept 14 — Samsung, Xiaomi and other smartphone companies colluded with Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart to exclusively launch products on the e-commerce firms' Indian websites in breach of the country's antitrust laws, according to regulatory reports seen by Reuters.

SINGAPORE, Sept 14 — The Singaporean police are investigating 305 suspects for scam offences following an enforcement operation from August 30 to September 12, according to the latest statement from the police, reported Xinhua.

NEW YORK, Sept 14 — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that peace is under threat and war is advancing, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

NEW YORK, Sept 14 — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Retno L.P.

BEIJING, Sept 14 — China's new home prices fell at the fastest pace in more than nine years in August, official data showed today, as supportive measures failed to spur a meaningful recovery in the property sector.

HANOI, Sept 13 — Indonesia's President-elect Prabowo Subianto has said that Vietnam and Indonesia had agreed to elevate their ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership".

GENEVA, Sept 13 — The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the approval of the MVA-BN vaccine, developed by Bavarian Nordic A/S, as the first-ever mpox vaccine to be added to its prequalification list, reported Xinhua.

HANOI/THAI NGUYEN, Sept 13 — The death toll in Vietnam from typhoon Yagi and the landslides and flash floods it triggered rose to 226 yesterday, the government's disaster agency said, as flood pressure eased in the capital Hanoi.

ISTANBUL, Sept 13 — The US Treasury Department released proposed rules for corporate alternative minimum tax to address tax avoidance by companies with US$1 billion (RM4.3 billion) or more in annual profit.

NEW YORK, Sept 13 — United States aircraft manufacturer Boeing announced yesterday that it had failed to prevent a planned strike by its largest union, despite offering a 25 per cent pay increase over four years, reported the German Press Agency (dpa).

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT, Sept 13 — Pope Francis left Singapore for Rome, Italy today, after a demanding trip across Southeast Asia and Oceania in which he urged action on climate change, pressed for interfaith dialogue, and reinforced the Catholic Church's presence in a region where it is a small minority.

JAKARTA, Sept 13 — Indonesia plans to upgrade the quality of subsidised and polluting fuels, while also selling them to fewer vehicles, in a bid to improve the air quality in the capital Jakarta and other big cities, a senior government official said.

SEOUL, Sept 13 — North Korea for the first time showed images of the centrifuges that produce fuel for its nuclear bombs on Friday, as leader Kim Jong Un visited a uranium enrichment facility and called for more weapons-grade material to boost the arsenal.

WASHINGTON D.C., Sept 13 — Republican nominee Donald Trump said on Thursday he would not participate in another presidential debate against Kamala Harris ahead of the November 5 election, after several polls showed his Democratic rival won their debate earlier this week.

GENEVA, Sept 13 — The first round of the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip is nearing completion, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday, with more than 552,000 children having received their first dose of the oral vaccine.

HANOI, Sept 12 — Asean foreign ministers yesterday expressed sorrow and sympathy for the devastation caused by the recent typhoon that has affected the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, China, and others.